A Cascade of Rueful Incidences
by Elah
Summary: When an old acquaintance comes to visit, how could Brian refuse his plea for help? Brian being Brian, the help comes in the form of a campaign. This unique, interactive, and scary campaign targeted to the audience of one young man will be executed on Liberty Avenue. As the faces of the campaign we will see Brian and his friends, and the campaign is set to begin on Halloween night..
1. Chapter 1 Courageous Client

_**A Cascade of Rueful Incidences**_

_********__When an old acquaintance comes to visit Brian, how could he refuse his plea for help? Brian being Brian, the help comes in the form of a campaign. This unique, interactive, and scary campaign targeted to the audience of one young man will be executed on Liberty Avenue. As the faces of the campaign we will see Brian and his friends, and the campaign is set to begin on Halloween night…_

Chapter 1 - _**Courageous Client**_

Brian Kinney couldn't help grinning. It was the time to call in his 10:30 client. Since the moment he found the name in his schedule for the day, he had come up with no plausible motive for the guy to book a meeting with him. It had bothered him quite a bit, but at last, he was going to find out.

"Cynthia, show him in, please," he said into the intercom.

The door opened, and his assistant, Cynthia Marlowe, led in the client, with a polite smile but without a word.

"Kinney," the client greeted him as he approached.

Still seated, Brian looked at the man for a moment before answering. "Vance. Quite a surprise, to see _you_ in my office at Kinnetik."

"I'm sure it is. Shall we skip the pleasantries?"

"Why not? I see no need to be pleasant, either. By all means, let's go on right from where we stopped." Even after eight years, Brian hadn't forgotten their last meeting, and apparently, neither had his former employer. "Seat yourself. You've got some reason for coming here. Let's hear it."

Gardner Vance took a seat across the table from Brian and said in a gravel tone of voice, "I need one of your talents, Kinney. I need it bad enough to swallow my pride, so please, hear me out without a comment!"

Brian did.

xxxxx

Thirty minutes later, Cynthia led Gardner Vance out of Kinnetik.

"Thank you, Mrs. Marlowe," the man said as he stepped out. "I'm pretty sure that Kinney would appreciate it if you kept people out of his office for the next five minutes or so."

Perplexed, Cynthia stared at the back of the quickly receding man. After a whole minute, she returned to her desk and heard, behind the firmly shut door, her boss roaring with laughter. _That_ was scary.

Some minutes later, Brian told her to come into his office. The man was smiling, but she knew that smile. Whenever Brian was in that mood, there was a good reason to look for pitfalls and other sudden deaths if a person was stupid enough to approach him.

"What is it?" Cynthia asked, not one bit intimidated. A smile every bit as scary as Brian's was decorating her face.

"Take a seat. We have a campaign to generate ideas for."

"For Vangard?!" Cynthia said naming Vance's firm. "That seems unlikely."

"Not for Vanguard, not for one of his clients, and not an _ad_ campaign," Brian purred with a devilish twinkle in his beautiful eyes.

"Not an ad campaign? What the hell does he want?" Cynthia was getting goose bumps, from excitement.

Brian told her.

xxxxx

A week later, well beyond the office hours, Cynthia and Brian were slouching in the small meeting room. The trash left from a long since eaten meal smelled on the table. Empty coffee cups added to the ripe atmosphere.

"I think we've got it," Brian said with a satisfied smile. "We will get Vance what he wants."

"I think you're right, boss." Cynthia took a deep breath. "You give me the creeps sometimes, but you really have got the skill for a job like this. But, to execute the plans, you'll need help. I won't be able to give you that."

"Unfortunately. You'd be the best person to help me if you were a man."

"Well, since I'm not, who are you going to enlist? Ted?"

"Definitely. He's one of us. But the two of us won't be enough. We need someone younger than Ted."

"And you," Cynthia cooed.

"As I said: younger than Ted," Brian answered with a tight, little smile. "Hunter would be of the appropriate age."

"And Justin."

"He would be a good choice, but he's in New York; he may not have the time. And besides, his boyfriend might not take it well if he came here for me."

"Call Justin anyway. He would be a great asset in this. And his Paul might find it more palatable if he also were enlisted."

"I will suggest it," Brian grinned. "Another great asset will be Ben. I'm sure I can persuade him to help us."

"And Michael, of course."

"He would never forgive me if we excluded him."

"How 'bout Carl? Wouldn't a policeman be a nice touch?"

"Absolutely! But, with Carl we would get his dear, red-head of a wife."

"You know her," Cynthia laughed. "But, actually, I don't think we will be able to pull this off without her. We need a mother, and who could be more credible than Debbie?"

"Incredible, more likely. It seems that my whole circle of friends will be involved in this. Is there a role for Emmet, too?"

"Of course there is! Who would be better suited for the role of the harmless little fairy?"

"Of course! How could I forget the fairy? Wait! We need his nephew, Nathan, too."

"Nathan? Have I met a Nathan?"

"I don't think you have. A lad of eighteen, looking like a fifteen year old. Nathan is a son of Emmett's brother's wife's sister, and like Emmett, he doesn't fit in with the family. The lad moved to Pittsburgh a couple of months ago."

"Sounds perfect," Cynthia agreed with a smile.

"But, now we need to twist the plans a bit," Brian said with an impish grin. "If I'm going to have one woman in this, I can have two as well. You're in."

"Let's twist them a bit more: Lyle would love to help, too. I'm sure about it."

"Why not? Your dear Mr. Marlowe will be a great finishing touch."

"The cherry on the top?"

"Considering the task at hand, that's a bit thick even from you!" Brian laughed.

xxxxx

Two days later, Cynthia led her husband Lyle and Brian's friends from Pittsburgh to the conference room of Kinnetik. A video conference call to the two men in New York would be taken in a few minutes.

"Please, be seated," Cynthia said smiling warmly to all the colorful people she had got to know so well during the years with her boss. "Brian will be here in… ah, there he is, now."

"Thank you, for coming to this meeting on such a short notice," Brian opened. "I'm sorry to have kept you in the dark about the subject matter, but it was just easier to tell you all at the same time. There are so many of you. Are you ready to take the call, Cynthia?" She nodded once and did just that. "Justin and Paul are going to join us, in a minute. I'll start as soon as we have a connection to New York. Meanwhile, there is coffee, tea and sandwiches. Please, help yourselves."

"Hi, Cynthia," Justin greeted her from the big screen before she turned the camera towards the others in the room. "Hi, you all," he said with his signature smile, waving.

Another blond man joined Justin and waved, too. Greetings were exchanged with great warmth and enthusiasm.

"We're all set, I think," Paul said at last.

"Well, then," Brian took his place at the end of the big table. "A couple of weeks ago, Gardner Vance came to see me, here at Kinnetik." A hush of surprise set over the audience. "Paul, Nathan," Brian went on, "you might not know: the man was my boss before I founded my firm. We didn't part on good terms. To my surprise, he now wants me to plan and execute a campaign for him. For reasons I'll tell you shortly, I said yes. The plans are completed; now Cynthia, Ted and I are seeking people to help us make them real. We hope to enlist you all in the task."

"What the hell are you planning, Brian?" Debbie exclaimed. "We are not exactly your type of models for ads."

"Who said anything about ads?" Brian smirked. "Vance wants help with a personal problem."

"He does?" Justin wondered. "What problem? I would've thought that you were the last person on earth he would go to for help. What the fuck is wrong with the man? And whatever it is, why would you agree to help?"

"Trust me: there is a reason, a good one," Brian said in a very serious tone of voice. "It turns out Vance has a son from his first marriage. From the age six, the boy has been living with his mother and her new husband, but last summer, at fifteen, he was sent to live with Vance. The boy is gay, and the man is a homophobe. You do the math.

"Unfortunately, the boy never grew to accept his parents' divorce. He still blames Vance for it, and consequently, he isn't happy with the move or with his father. According to Vance, the boy is out of control and, out of spite, making forays into Liberty Avenue. Vance is scared for his safety. The boy doesn't listen to him, he tells him lies, and he threatens to run away. In essence, Vance asked me to take care of his son where he cannot. You all know why I promised to do that."

"Not for Vance," Michael stated.

Ben nodded quietly. Justin swallowed. He was unable of looking at Brian; Paul looked at the man, visibly uncomfortable.

"By 'taking care' you don't mean popping his cherry," Debbie broke the tender moment. "You've got something else in mind. Out with it."

Everyone chuckled. Carl shook his head but gathered his wife in his arms. Debbie blew her nose into the big, checked handkerchief he put in her hand.

Brian looked at them. Then, a thin smile on his lips, he told them all the plans. Cynthia and Ted helped him present the ideas; otherwise, the people took in his words, quiet as mice. When he finished the presentation, they sat for a moment in a shocked silence.

"God in Heaven, Brian!" Debbie gushed. "Of all the devious things you've done…"

"I'm on board, Brian. I'll help you in any way I can." Hunter found his voice quivering a bit, but he meant every word.

"Me too," Justin said. Then he turned to Paul, "I have to. I hope you understand."

"Of course, Sunshine," Paul said with an understanding smile. "Count me in, too, Kinney."

One by one, all the people in the meeting promised to help.


	2. Chapter 2 Tempting Trick

_**A Cascade of Rueful Incidences**_

Chapter 2 - _**Tempting Trick**_

On the 31st of October, Rhett Vance was slouching on the floor in front of the TV as his father got home from work.

"Hi, son," Gardner greeted the boy, getting no answer. "Have you eaten yet?" he said after an uncomfortable pause.

"Yeah," was the annoyed sounding answer.

"What did you eat?"

"Something." Apparently the episode of Wipeout was riveting. Rhett turned the volume up.

"Something other than chips and coke, I hope." Gardner raised his voice.

Rhett grimaced. "Don't start again!"

"I'm not starting anything. I'm just worried about you, son. You need to eat more healthy meals," Gardner said in full parenting mode.

"Stop nagging!"

Gardner let his son's aggravating tone of voice slide like water from the back of the proverbial goose. "I'm going to order in something. Would you prefer Chinese, Korean, or something else?" he said reasonably.

"Nothing. Are you deaf? I told you I've eaten," Rhett rolled his eyes. "Besides, I've got plans."

"What plans and with whom?" Gardner snapped. "Let me guess: with Ronny and Wade. Won't happen, Rhett. You're not going out with those boys. I forbid it. You're too young to hang out with them."

"Wade is seventeen and Ronny is just eighteen. They aren't..."

"And you're fifteen," Gardner chimed in. "Do they even know your age? With your height and build, you might look like you're their age, but you're just a child."

"I'm not a child!"

"As long as you behave like one..."

"Shithead!"

"Watch your mouth, boy! I won't listen to that kind of language in my house," Gardner took a step closer to his son.

"Good!" Rhett pushed himself up to a sitting position and looked at his father, eyes full of resentment. "I never wanted to be here anyway!"

"You should be grateful you _have_ a father that accepts you as you are," Gardner said, trying to calm down.

"As if! If you accepted me being gay you would let me hang out with others of my kind!"

"Bullshit. I have nothing against gays, and I love you."

"If you loved me you'd let me go with Wade and Ronny!" Rhett shouted.

"And where would they take you? To Liberty Avenue! You're way too young to go there, especially at night."

"I'm not too young. There are a lot of guys my age and younger, there," the young boy whined.

"Doing what, I wonder. No, you're not going. Not another word on the matter, you hear me?" Gardner said sternly.

"It's Halloween, Gardner!" Rhett spun around and rose to his knees, facing his father. "You can't keep me here!" he said full of anger.

"What do you say if we go to a nice restaurant, to have a proper meal, huh?" Gardner chose to ignore Rhett's foul mood.

"Do whatever you want; I won't come!" the boy screamed at the top of his lungs. "I'm not spending Halloween with you!"

"And I'm not leaving you alone here! Don't think I don't know what you've got in mind."

"I won't let you ruin my life!" Rhett got up from the floor. "I'm going. You can't stop me!"

"I'm your father!"

"Yeah, right. Some father. You left us!" The boy pushed past his father.

"Get back here! You're not leaving!" Gardner shouted as Rhett stopped to put on shoes and to grab a coat.

"Watch me!" Rhett growled and stomped out the door, slamming it shut in his father's face.

For a second or two, Gardner watched the closed door; then he turned and walked to the phone. With a crooked little smile, he dialed a number.

"The game is on," he said to the person on the other end of the line.

xxxxx

Also Rhett was on the phone. He couldn't reach Wade, but Ronny answered his call.

"I'm already heading toward Liberty Avenue; well, I'm not even at the bus stop yet, but on my way," Rhett told Ronny. "Are you getting down there soon?"

"Not yet, it's still too early. Nobody is there at this hour. Did you fight with your old man again?"

"Yeah, Gardner wanted to take me to dinner. It was all so I couldn't meet with you guys tonight. What a jerk. I had to leave; he drives me crazy."

"So, what are you planning to do now?"

"I don't know. Liberty Diner is open, at least. I could go there."

"Or back to dear old dad," Ronny drawled.

"Shut up."

Laughing, Ronny cut the connection.

Tucking the cell into his pocket, Rhett reached the bus stop and settled to wait. Several other people joined him: one of them a cute, dark-haired boy about his age. Rhett amused himself by trying to find out whether the boy was straight or gay. There was something about him that suggested gay, but Rhett wasn't sure.

With this young kid, he could take full advantage of his looks of appearing like an older boy and play the part of an experienced young stud; with boys that actually were older than him he couldn't hope to pull it off. He made the lad uncomfortable just by repeatedly making eye contact with him. The boy turned slightly away from him and, unintentionally, managed to give him a nice view of his rear. The boy kept his eyes on the stretch of the street where there was a fine, old, residential area. As Rhett chuckled quietly, the boy glanced at him over his shoulder, blushing. Rhett was enjoying the game as the bus came.

To his delight, the boy followed him into the bus heading towards the gay Mecca of Pittsburgh. Maybe he _was_ gay. Unfortunately, the boy took a seat behind him, so he couldn't keep his eye on the cutie.

After an uneventful ride, the bus reached Rhett's stop. In addition to him, there was only one other person leaving the bus: the cute boy. Before Rhett could react, the boy made a beeline towards Liberty Diner. Rhett grinned. Definitely gay! Here he had something to do while he waited for his pals. He crossed the street but kept his eye on the boy as he walked in the same direction. He watched the boy take a quick glance around before entering the diner but walked by. A few buildings further ahead there was a shop. Rhett dropped in, to buy cigarettes and other necessities. Then, he headed back to the diner. The place was packed, so it wasn't easy to check whether the boy still was there. His luck had not failed him; the boy was sitting in one of the back booths.

"Hi, I'm Rhett. Didn't I see you earlier, today, somewhere?" he said as he dropped into a seat across from the surprised lad.

"Hi," the boy said warily, looking up with frightened, blue eyes. "The b-bus?" he stammered.

"Did we ride the same bus here? I don't remember seeing you there."

"We waited at the same stop," the boy said hesitantly, casting a look at the door as it chimed.

"Of course! Now I remember you," Rhett lied. "Would you mind telling me your name?"

"Ethan?"

"Hello, Ethan. So, what were you doing in Shadyside?"

"Live there?"

"Really? Me, too." Rhett took the menu and opened it on the table in front of him. For a moment, he studied the list. "Did you come here all by yourself?" he asked startling the boy.

"I expected a couple of my friends to be here, but they haven't got here yet..." Ethan said with a nervous little chuckle.

"I'm in exactly the same situation; we could wait together," Rhett said with a leer. He had something other than waiting in mind. "Or we could ditch them altogether."

"Why?" Ethan seemed out of his depth.

"There's a lot to see, a lot to do here, at the Liberty, for a pair of strapping young guys like us," Rhett said with an open smile. "Why waste time waiting for some losers that can't get out of their houses?"

"I don't know..."

"Sure, you aren't afraid? We're in the middle of people here! What could possibly happen to you with me?"

"Nothing I guess..."

"Let's go!"

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"I'm not hungry, and apparently, you aren't either." Rhett pointed a finger at Ethan's barely tasted fries and stood up. "Com' on. Let's get out of here."

Behind them, unnoticed, a new customer entered the diner. The big and strong looking man turned his head left and right, scanning the room until he found what he was looking for, and more. Rhett was pulling Ethan out of the booth and onto his feet. He wrapped a hand around the smaller boy's shoulders.

"Ethan!" a loud, male voice called from the door. "Ethan Jeremy Gold! What are you doing here, son?"

Ethan spun around, his eyes wide open in fright. "Dad?" he whispered.

Mr. Gold's eyes glazed over as he turned to look at Rhett. "Get your dirty hands off my boy, you!" he yelled making every head in the diner turn to look.

Under the cold stare, Rhett took a quick step back from Ethan raising his hands in front of him, palms outward, innocence personified.

With angry air in his steps, Mr. Gold quickly closed the distance to the two youngsters. "Ethan, I told you not to leave the house. You're grounded for the next two months! And this time, there will be a lock on the door. Your escapades will stop, you hear me!"

While Mr. Gold was berating his son, Rhett decided it was a perfect chance to melt away, but he wasn't quick enough. A firm hand grabbed him by the collar. "Not so quickly, mister," the irate man growled. "Who's in charge, here!" he shouted loud enough to carry over the tumult of the busy diner.

The person who answered Mr. Gold's call could've been an unattractive woman, but in fact, despite the garb, makeup and hair, he wasn't. "Good evening, sir. I'm Kiki," he greeted softly. "What can I do for you, Mr…?"

"Kyle Gold."

"Mr. Gold, please tell me what is the matter here. Have these boys been bothering you?"

"That is my son, Ethan." Mr. Gold pointed a hand at the red-faced boy behind him. "I'd like you to see that he is not let in here in future. He's way too young."

"At all, sir? Maybe, just in evenings," Kiki suggested in a mellow voice. "A lot of youngsters come here in the afternoons, after school. I hope you don't mean that your son shouldn't come here because we are gay people, here?" Towards the end, Kiki's tone of voice got less warm in color.

"Okay. Afternoons should be fine, but keep this creep far from him, whatever the time of the day!" Mr. Gold turned his attention back to Rhett who he still had in his grip. "What's your name, and age, sleazebag?" He shook Rhett violently. "Answer me!"

"Let go of me!" Rhett shouted, scared. "I've done nothing wrong."

"You had your sleazy hands all over my boy! Heaven only knows what you had in mind. Ethan is just fourteen, for God's sake. You're what, nineteen? You're too old to hang out with my boy!"

"No, no," Rhett hurried to placate the man. "I'm just fifteen: not old at all."

"Don't try and play games with me, mister. Your parents wouldn't let you be here if you were so young, not at this hour." The man's face turned an ugly, blotchy color: pale and purple mixed together. "I should call the police. My boy is a minor! You're guilty of initiating a sexual act with a minor. Maybe more than once! Who knows how many young boys you've molested, monster! It would be a good thing, to get you out off the streets."

"No, sir!" Rhett felt the earth getting more and more unsteady beneath him. "I'm a minor, too. I haven't done nothing wrong, Mr. Gold!"

"It doesn't even matter; whatever your age, Ethan is a minor and you clearly were the aggressor. I saw that you pulled him out of the booth, without his consent."

"No father! He did…"

"Keep your mouth shut, Ethan. If you had done what you've been told nothing would have happened."

"Nothing happened!" Rhett shouted. "I did nothing!"

"Ms. Kiki, do you know who this guy is?"

"I think he's been called Rhett."

"And do you know his age?"

"No… but he's been hanging out with a couple of guys I know. They are about eighteen."

"Eighteen!" Ethan's father seemed to lose it. "You, you…monster! I'll teach you…!"

Mr. Gold swung his big, meaty fist. The next thing Rhett knew was that he was on his back on the floor, and four big fellows were holding Mr. Gold pinned. The man was growling in rage.

"Calm down, man!" The men holding Mr. Gold tried to get through to him. "Do you want to get arrested, too?"

"As long as that bastard is put behind bars, I don't care. Let me go!"

Rhett lay still, not daring to move a muscle. He prayed that the guys didn't let the enraged father go. He saw nothing but hatred in the eyes that had him pinned to the floor.

Suddenly, the crowd around them was disturbed as someone pushed through.

"Where is he? Where is Ethan Gold?! I want his autograph!"

A slight young man with sandy hair pushed one last person out of his way. "Where is he?" he repeated, looking at the faces before him, one after another. "Did I miss him?"

"He's right there, behind those men," Kiki told him, pointing at Ethan.

"But…? That's not Ethan Gold," the man said, bewildered.

"I guess you're referring to the violinist, that Ethan Gold?" Ethan's father said. "He's not here, just my son, also Ethan. You've been misinformed, man."

"You've got a son named Ethan Gold?" the man wondered. "How peculiar!"

"My wife is a huge fan."

"I'm a huge fan, too," the guy enthused.

As the newcomer stole Mr. Gold's attention, the man forgot to keep an eye on Rhett. The boy took the opportunity and sneaked behind the people surrounding the Golds and the fan and ran out of the diner.

Rhett walked on shaky legs to the nearby opening of an alley and hid there from curious eyes.


End file.
